QUETTA: Lieutenant General Aamir Riaz, commander of the Southern Command, inaugurated the Pakistan Gate in Taftan along the Pak-Iran border on Wednesday.

The gate was constructed in five months at a cost of Rs20 million. Lt Gen Sher Afgun, Frontier Corps IG Major General Nadeem Anjum and Quetta Customs Collector Saeed Khan Jadoon, among several other senior officials, were present on the occasion.

The inauguration marks the completion of the first phase of construction of the border terminal in Taftan which commenced in July this year. The Pakistan Gate has two doors, one of which is constructed on the zero line and the other is ornamental, constructed 200 metres inside Pakistan at a vantage point visible from a distance of 2km on both sides of the border. The facility is equipped with CCTV cameras, Nadra’s verification system for CNICs and related documents, customs and FIA immigration offices and a multi-layered security apparatus supported by the Levies and Frontier Corps.

The second phase of the project will begin soon and will include construction of a rest area for people travelling to and from Iran, and an NLC yard to manage commercial activities.

This border crossing point is the oldest trade route to Iran and Europe and thousands of foreigners and locals travelling to Europe and Iran by road each year use this crossing point.

Addressing the gathering, Lt Gen Aamir Riaz said the RCD Highway would be repaired to provide maximum facilities to traders and travellers. Work on various development projects was under way, he said, adding that this would bring the border town on a par with the developed cities of the country.

Lt Gen Sher Afgun, the outgoing Frontier Corps inspector general, said the construction of the Pakistan Gate was a new year’s gift to the residents of Taftan. It would also help project a positive and soft image of the country to travellers and foreign tourists entering Pakistan through the Taftan border gate, he said.

There had been an immigration office at the border in Taftan since 1975, but no border gate, Customs Collector Saeed Khan Jadoon said. He said the gate had been jointly constructed by the Pakistan Customs and the Frontier Corps. It was also necessary to improve border management, he said, adding that Iran had also requested it.

Published in Dawn December 22nd, 2016